All About Feather Beds

Grandma's feather bed, made famous through John Denver's recording of Jim Conner's song, "was nine feet high and six feet wide, soft as a downy chick."  Today's feather beds are placed atop the regular mattress for sumptuous comfort and increased restfulness. Upscale motels use feather beds to embrace weary travelers with soothing rest away from home.  The ambitious traveler may bring the "comfort of home" feather bed with them to enable sleeping "in my own bed" regardless of location. Typical sleep patterns show that people spend at least one third of their time in bed, so finding the most effective personal bedding system will maximize your sleep benefit. 

Feather bed advantages

Feather beds couple the firm support of the regular mattress with softer, body-hugging material that adapts to individual body shape, resulting in more consistent support and more restful sleep. Feather beds are produced in a range of mattress sizes.  Their portability lets them be moved from bed to bed as easily as your favorite sheet and blanket sets.  Feather beds are available in hypoallergenic materials to reduce dust mites and other irritants.  With good care, feather beds can provide years of adjustable, soothing comfort.

Feather bed construction

Feather beds may be filled with a variety of feathers.  Down is lightweight with higher loft, while other feathers provide a firmer foundation. Feather beds are constructed with baffles, channels or quilting to retain even feather distribution.  Reducing shifts and clumps ensures maximum adjustment to individual body curves.  Look for a tightly woven fabric shell to minimize feather seepage from the bed.  Styles vary among single seam edge and gusset edge construction, with typically 1 to 4 inches of feather bed depth. Down top feather beds have a top section filled with down to keep the softest feathers close to the surface. 

Feather bed covers

As with down duvets or comforters, you'll want to protect your investment with a feather bed cover, removable for easy cleaning when the bed linens are washed.  Typical feather bed covers are made from high quality cotton with easy zip openings. Covering both the feather bed and mattress with an additional fitted sheet before making the bed will also give protection.  When selecting sheet sets for use with a feather bed, measure overall mattress depth to assure adequate sheet coverage of both the feather bed and the underlying mattress.

Feather bed care

The feather bed adjusts with sleepers' movements and the filling may become uneven. Regularly air and fluff the feather bed to retain loft and freshness.  Spot clean using the minimum amount of water necessary to remove stains from the feather bed fabric.  Manufacturers recommend dry cleaning when full bed cleaning is required.

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